US Demands Israel Act Against Settler Violence; UN Envoy Seeks Gaza Aid Plan

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Trump administration is demanding Israel take stronger action to prevent settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank. "We are very concerned about these images and what we are seeing," Rubio told reporters, adding, "We have asked the Israelis, and we continue to ask them, to act forcefully against these things." His remarks followed the release of footage showing American photojournalist Heidi Levine, who works for The Washington Post, being attacked by settlers. Levine was among at least two people injured on Friday during an assault by settlers on Palestinian civilians. The Belgian foreign minister also reported that European diplomats and a French mayor were attacked in the West Bank. The State Department has requested information on the incident involving Levine, with Rubio expecting a response from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem by Sunday. According to the organization Yesh Din, which monitors settler activity, at least 170 settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank have been documented since September 27, coinciding with the start of the annual olive harvest season.

Meanwhile, Nikolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, has urged Israel to allow the immediate entry of the Palestinian Technocratic Committee and an international stabilization force into Gaza, as per the Trump plan. This demand was conveyed in a letter to Yoram Halevy, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, amid Israel's decision to suspend the entry of goods to Gaza via private traders. Mladenov argued that Hamas's extortion of traders is not new and that halting commercial imports would only shift pressure onto aid organizations, stating the problem would persist as long as Hamas controls the Strip. He called for approving a pilot program for the Technocratic Committee and stabilization force to operate in a limited area of Rafah, under IDF control, with eventual expansion to the rest of Gaza to facilitate Hamas's disarmament and the transfer of governance. The Israeli cabinet had previously approved limited entry for stabilization force soldiers to Rafah in late July, but this decision was later reversed under pressure from Religious Zionist ministers. Mladenov also requested a new framework for goods entering Gaza and solutions for temporary housing, sanitation, and medical care shortages.

According to COGAT, the suspension of private trade is due to Hamas extorting traders, demanding approximately NIS 10,000 per truck and requiring 30% of goods to be sold for cash. Israel maintains that around 250 aid trucks per day should suffice for the population's needs. However, reports indicate that the closure of the commercial channel has already led to sharp increases in food prices within the Strip.